Helping a perpetrator of Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (FDIA), particularly one seeking to fake a mental illness, is not only counterproductive but also dangerous and lethal for the victim. Here’s why:
1. FDIA is a form of abuse:
Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another is a form of abuse where the perpetrator intentionally fabricates or induces illness in another person. In such cases, the victim is subjected to unnecessary medical treatments, manipulations, and sometimes dangerous procedures. Helping the abuser cover up or fake a mental illness intensifies this abuse, rather than stopping it or exposing it.
2. Helping the perpetrator perpetuates the abuse:
If you assist the perpetrator in faking a mental illness, you are enabling them to continue the cycle of abuse. By allowing the abuser to manipulate medical professionals, legal systems, or others into believing that the victim’s suffering is a result of some false narrative (e.g., their own mental instability), you divert attention away from the real abuse. This leaves the victim in an increasingly vulnerable position and exposes them to greater harm.
3. This delays intervention and protection for the victim:
Assisting the perpetrator in faking mental illness for themselves or the victim obstructs justice. It delays the recognition of the abuse, which means that the victim continues to suffer without appropriate intervention. In FDIA cases, time is critical—delays in intervention can lead to serious physical and psychological damage for the victim, sometimes with fatal consequences. By helping the perpetrator deceive others, you are effectively prolonging the abuse, allowing it to escalate unchecked.
4. Manipulating the narrative hides the true danger:
The perpetrator of FDIA often seeks to control the narrative by making others believe that the victim is ill or mentally unstable. By supporting the perpetrator in these lies, you conceal the actual danger the victim is in. This manipulation keeps the attention on a fabricated illness rather than the abuse itself. The victim continues to endure harm without being recognized as such, and it can lead to irreversible damage.
5. Contributing to faking illness is complicity in harm:
When you help a perpetrator falsify medical or psychological claims, you become complicit in the harm being done. In the case of FDIA, this harm is often severe and life-threatening. The victim may be subjected to unnecessary medical treatments, psychological trauma, and continued control by the perpetrator. Your actions inadvertently support the perpetrator’s agenda, which could result in the ultimate destruction of the victim’s life.
6. Helping the perpetrator obstructs the victim’s compensation and justice:
Rather than aiding the victim in getting compensated or achieving justice, assisting the perpetrator undermines the victim’s chances of receiving the help and support they need. It creates a false narrative that distorts reality, blocking the victim’s ability to seek legal or financial redress. In cases of FDIA, the truth is vital for the victim’s survival and recovery. Supporting a perpetrator’s lies serves to deny the victim justice, and may even worsen their physical and psychological condition.
7. Ultimately, it can lead to the victim’s death:
FDIA cases often involve life-threatening abuse, especially if medical treatments or interventions are falsely administered based on lies about the victim’s condition. By helping the perpetrator continue their deception, you are not merely prolonging suffering—you may be facilitating a path to the victim’s death.